An elemental is a sentient being composed of elemental energy. The most common varieties are those of the classical elements, expressing themselves as air, fire, earth, and water elementals. These appeared as a cycle in Alpha.[2] Many more exotic manifestations have also been created, such as elementals of lightning, thorns, fungus, rust and even time.[3]

Elemental is the non-Human race with the widest distribution among all five colors.

Before the Conflux, they inhabited exclusively in Jund and were characterized as violent beings that spawned from areas of it. But, afterwards they have began to appear in other shards such as Grixis and Naya; Fusion elemental represents a byproduct of the Conflux.

Most Elementals on Amonkhet are wild and the result of Nicol Bolas' corruption of the plane. During the Hour of Devastation, elementals arose from burning rock, the blood-tainted waters of the Luxa River and the sands of the desert itself to turn on Naktamun and reduce it to rubble. As a result, most of them are strongly red-aligned.

Dominarian Elementals are mostly green, forming from plants and earth through great outpours of magic, like the Mirari that gave birth to Silvos. Otherwise, other elemental masses can be similar affected, forming from elements. Others are more abstract, like the Time Elemental, Storm Elemental and Dawn Elemental, which are elemental energies given flesh. Following Dominarias healing process after the Phyrexian Invasion and the Time Rifts, new elementals formed from the lands reinfusion with mana.

The elementals of Innistrad are closely aligned with green or red mana. While not as openly hostile against humanity as other monsters of the plane, the elementals are nonetheless dangerous, defending their territories viciously against fleshy intruders. Most are found in the vast forests of the plane, like the Somberwald and the Ulvenwald. Others arise from the fiery chasms that seem to be connected to demons.[5]

The elementals of Ixalan are magically harnessed via the use of jade totems, constructed by the River Heralds, that hold them in stasis until intruders threaten their territory. When a totem opens, the elemental’s physical form comes together, and the intruders are quickly dispatched.

The dual plane of Lorwyn–Shadowmoor possesses two main types of native elementals: the humanoid flamekin/cinders, living beings made of stone and fire, are similar to elementals on other planes. Greater elementals, however, embody not physical elements but the mental concepts. Being an elemental on Lorwyn means being a hybrid of surreal and animal elements that represents the living magic of an idea, thought, or dream.[7][8]

Flamekin (no connection to the flame-kin of Ravnica) are elementals similar in size and shape to humans. Living in the mountains of Lorwyn, they are a passionate race of warriors and shamans who focus their inner flames into weapons in battle. Flamekin are sworn enemies of the elves, who use their treefolk servants to suppress the flamekin and confine them to their mountain homes.

Flamekin resemble humans made of smooth, living black stone with four-fingered hands and horned faces with graceful features; their inner fires blaze through their crowns, joints, and shoulders. Flamekin can control their flames, allowing them to wear textiles and safely interact with non-flamekin. A group of flamekin called the Brighthearth serve as emissaries of flamekin goodwill to other races, performing useful tasks that require fire, such as smithing.

At some point during the set's early design stage, flamekin were referred to as "salamands,"[9] after the belief among medieval alchemists that salamanders were beings of elemental fire.[10]

Cinders are the same beings as the Flamekin of Lorwyn. As their name suggests many of the cinders have lost their ability to hold a constant flame making them walking skeletal, smoky remains.[11] According to their legend, the cinders' flames were taken long ago by a traitor known as the Extinguisher, and due to this they have become very bitter. Most cinders want the entire world to suffer as much as they do and thus they attempt to sow chaos and destruction until nothing good remains. Due to the loss of their fire they are extremely jealous of species that still use it, and if fire is spotted by a cinder it will attack ferociously in an attempt to claim the fire for its own.

"Greater elementals" are the living embodiments of the abstract mental ideas and concepts dreamed by the people, such as vigor, hostility, and guile.[12] Vastly different in form from other worlds' elementals, the greater elementals take the form of bizarre combinations of natural animals, many of colossal size.[13] They are beasts that pursue their own simple needs with little concern for Lorwyn's tribal conflicts. Greater elementals may be born in the Primal Beyond.

A "Maro-Sorcerer", also known as a Force of Nature, is the manifestation of the land, either brought about by strong magic, or of nature’s own will. They are found across many worlds, though most known Maro-Sorcerers dwelt on Dominaria.

Elementals are found throughout the city-plane of Ravnica. Most Ravnican elementals are bestial in intelligence, form, and ecological niche, though some distinct races of sentient, humanoid elementals exist on the plane as well.

Passionate zealots loyal to the cause of the Boros Legion, these flame-kin (no relation to the flamekin of Lorwyn) are fire elementals that have been blessed by the Boros Angels. Flame-kin eventually dissipate, like wildfires without any oxygen or fuel, as their power and existence burn out when a battle or war is finished. Flame-kin are strengthened by magic; though formidable on their own, the application of enchantments grants them devastating power.

Flame-kin resemble humans made of solid, blazing flame. They wear only black armor made by guild smiths.

A race of powerful warriors, "root-kin", are associated with the Selesnya Conclave and Simic Combine. They are hulking humanoid creatures made of thick, twisting green plant roots. Simic root-kin are often covered in strength-enhancing cytoplasts.

Weirds are a combination of opposing elements; for example, a combination of fire and water elementals. Weirds were created by Niv-Mizzet during the Katazar-Razblat Elemental Symposium. The dragon, bored with the squabbling of the various elementalists, combined opposing elements to create the paradoxical creatures. The weirds have come to be the ubiquitous lab assistants to the Izzet League, as well as becoming magically bound into a great many forms of machinery and infrastructure to insure proper workings and efficiency.

Weirds tend to be constructed with vaguely humanoid forms, their "skin" being self-sealed "plasmodermic bubbles" containing the diametrically-opposing energies that give them life. Different types of weirds include petrahydroxes (created from living stone as well as fire and water), gelectrodes (created to conduct electricity), and steamcore weirds (the basic type, used to power Izzet machinery).

Associated with the Gruul Clans, wood-kin are plantlike elementals that share the ferocious nature of their guildmates. They resemble gnarled tree trunks with humanoid heads and limbs. Older wood-kin petrify as they age.

Woodwraiths are hideous creatures of wood and slime that reproduce by corrupting the land, spreading its genes via black sap into natural fibers. They are used by the Golgari Swarm. The Simic studied woodwraiths as part of their research to create their cytoplasts.

In the old timeline of Tarkir, the Temur shamans were the clan most well-versed with the various elementals of the plane, mostly focusing on those of wood, frost and heat. The Jeskai Way occaisonally dealt with elementals of wind.

In the new timeline, elementals are birthed along with dragons from the energies of the dragon tempests. The thawing of the glaciers has driven many elementals from the former Temur lands.

Scaldkin are elementals of heat and bioling water that arise spontaneously in the Qal Sisma Mountains. The Temur believe that scaldkin are born when eruptions melt the frozen whispers of sleeping ancestors.

Windfolk are elemental beings of snow and air who are found only at the highest elevations. Very few people have seen them, and only the Temur shamans are able to communicate with them. They are impervious to cold and wind, so they wear very little clothing—often only a simple wrap about the waist. Instead of hair or beards, they have mobile tentacles something like the barbels of catfish. They are psychically sensitive, detecting thoughts with their tentacles, and the shamans say that they can hear the humans' ancestors as well as the dreams of the dragons that still lie frozen in the ice.

The Theran Elementals are most often associated with the sea and waters, serving as extensions of the will of Thassa. Others, like the Humbler of Mortals, arise when the gods are angered and their rage echoes through Nyx and eventually reaches the mortal world, where it enchants the land to turn against the offenders.

The elementals of Zendikar are numerous, awakening through the activity of the Roil. They are highly varied, coming in the forms infused animals that live normal cycles of birth and death, animated plants or even animated pieces of the land, like walking islands, expanses of water or high plateaus.

Several elementals rose as pieces of the plane itself, acting as antibodies to the Eldrazi.[14]

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